Carol, Irwin Wagner to be honored at 2013 Denver Jewish Film Festival

Irwin and Carol Wagner are to be honored on opening night of the 17th Denver Jewish Film Festival. Eric Stephenson, Special to The Denver Post

When the 17th Denver Jewish Film Festival opens on Feb. 6, tribute will be paid to Carol and Irwin Wagner, whose support has been crucial to the festival’s success.

By giving them the 2013 Cultural Achievement Award, the Mizel Arts and Culture Center staff will be acknowledging the role the Wagners have played in helping the festival become one of the largest and most respected events of its kind in the country.

“Carol and Irwin are the kind of people who work quietly behind the scenes, doing whatever needs to be done,” says festival director Roberta Bloom. Festival chair Sharon Haber adds: “We believe their gentle wisdom and unwavering community support have truly made a difference.”

Wagner Wealth Management has been the festival’s presenting sponsor for the past several years, and the entire Wagner family is involved to one degree or another.

Carol and Irwin Wagner moved to Denver from Chicago in 1960 and immersed themselves in community service via volunteer work and financial support of organizations like the JCC, Rose Medical Center, the Kempe Children’s Foundation, Facing History and Ourselves, the President’s Council of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Brandeis University. Carol has served on the Mizel Arts and Culture Center board since 2006.

Son Gary was president of the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center board in 2009-2010; his son, Cale, is a member of the Rose Youth Foundation board. Gary’s brother, Ted, is currently board treasurer of the JCC of Greater Detroit while his sister, Susan, is a past treasurer of the Karis Community House board.

The opening night festivities begin with a buffet supper at 5:30 p.m. in the JCC’s Phillips Social Hall. The evening’s featured film, “Nava Nagila (The Movie),” is at 7 in the Elaine Wolf Theater. Opening night chairwomen are Sharon Haber and Ellen Beller, who is also the opening night sponsor.